He does however foresee FA Cup hero Danny Welbeck to be dropped despite his winner at Old Trafford, burt that his replacement will fire Arsenal to victory.

Merson said: "West Ham have hit a bit of a bad run and this time of year, Arsenal are very reliable. It was good to see Danny Welbeck score for Arsenal at Manchester United but I think they'll play Olivier Giroud in this game and he can score first in a 3-0 win."

According to bookmakers William Hill, Merson's scorecast prediction comes in at odds of 22/1.

Arsenal have won four league games in a row and currently sit in third place, while the Hammers have dropped to 10th place, failing to win any of their last six Premier League matches. To make it even more daunting for West Ham, Arsenal have won six league home games in succession.

It may truly be a surprise if West Ham pulled off a win, but fans will want to see them put up a fight, and a 3-0 loss would make for a miserable afternoon.

Dan Coombs

Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.
As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.
He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.